Yarber sworn in as Jackson mayor

Former Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber was sworn in as the mayor of Jackson on Thursday morning. Yarber pledged to make Jackson a place where "everyone wants to come and no one wants to leave." (Video by Courtney Cronin/The Clarion-Ledger).

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Tony Yarber is sworn-in as mayor of Jackson during a ceremony outside City Hall on Thursday.(Photo: Joe Ellis/The Clarion-Ledger)Buy Photo

Standing outside City Hall on Thursday morning, Mayor Tony Yarber preached the glory of Jackson while trying to inspire faith that the capital city can become the answer to its residents' prayers.

The pastor gave an impassioned inaugural speech, calling on the wisdom of his father as a guideline for how he plans to run the state's largest city.

"My daddy said, 'Boy, you've got to treat folks right, because you never know when you're going to see the same folks again,'<TH>" said Yarber, whose fa<FZ,1,7,38>ther passed away in 2006.

"I want you to know that we are going to run an administration that treats everyone right," he said. "We're going to be fair; we're going to be firm; we're going to be consistent."

The installation of Jackson's mayor — technically the city's fourth within the last year — brought to close a tumultuous chapter in the city's history.

Last year at this time, then-Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. was in the middle of campaigning for the office again, eventually losing to Mayor Chokwe Lumumba. After Lumumba's unexpected death on Feb. 25, Councilman Charles Tillman stepped in as acting mayor until an election could be held.

Speaking before Yarber took his oath, Tillman said he was ready to pass the torch to the next mayor. "We all want to move Jackson forward," he said before taking a seat with the rest of the council.

A few minutes later, Yarber stood at the podium, his first time giving a speech as mayor rather than as a candidate, council member or preacher.

"Wow," he said. "To God be the glory. I was just sitting in the car before I got out, and I said, 'Lord, what am I doing?'<TH>"

Those uncertainties vanished during the rest of his speech.

"My daddy also said, "Boy, if you say you're going to do something, do it,'<TH>" said Yarber. "We won't make a promise that we know we can't keep our hand on.

"But we will promise you that we will give you good government."

His father also told him it's important to show up. "You can't stay at home in the bed and think you're going to get a check," he said.

"At this point in our city's great history, we cannot afford to have Monday morning quarterbacks," said Yarber, eliciting loud cheers from the hundreds of supporters gathered outside.

"We need everybody on the field, whether you're the water boy or you're the trainer. Whether you play quarterback or you're on defense, you have a role, and we need you to step up and get into the game that we call moving Jackson forward.

"We need you to show up."

Yarber pledged to court new business but never forget the investment existing Jackson businesses have made in the community.

Another piece of advice from Yarber's father: It is important that you understand who you are because the moment you understand who you are, you will never settle.

"We are Jackson, Mississippi. We are the capital city of Mississippi," said Yarber. "Failure is not our option. We shall rise above degradation. Crime will not be our staple. But we shall be a city that loves on each other, that embraces each other.

"Whether you stay in northeast Jackson or whether you stay in Brookleigh Hills, we understand that you are a part of Jackson, and we are committed and we are convinced to never settle for what was said about us."

Yarber also discussed Lumumba, a man he considered a mentor.

"We are here today because of a great man by the name of Chokwe Lumumba," he said. "In a lot of ways, Chokwe Lumumba taught me some things about being a man and about being a father.

"And we saw that in the courage that his son, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, showed in this race," Yarber added, referring to his former opponent in the April 22 runoff.

The new mayor spent the bulk of his speech discussing his plans for Jackson, but he also showed his humorous side when discussing his family, sitting behind him.

"My baby girl came home the other day and she said, 'Daddy, tomorrow I'm going to get in trouble at school.'

"And I said, 'Why are you doing to get in trouble?' and she said, 'Because this boy was talking about you.'

"She said, 'I'm going to punch him in the mouth.'

"I said, 'No, baby don't punch him in the mouth. Tomorrow your daddy will be mayor.'<TH>"